christmas photos

the photo above was taken christmas morning...two boys in matching pajamas. we were all suffering from a nasty virus, some worse than others. i only took a few pictures that morning - i stopped when i realized one child was crying, one child looked frail, and my nose would.not.stop.dripping. -  so i'm thankful i got this one!


the photos below were taken the day after christmas when bodies were feeling a bit better and spirits were a bit brighter. a white christmas is rare in denver, believe it or not. the snow began to fall in the afternoon on christmas day and my heart rejoiced. it continued on throughout the night and into the next day. the beautiful, peaceful blanket of white resulted in very happy children!

brothers

i just have to show you the not-yet-edited photos i took of the boys the other night.

they were dressed up for their school christmas production. harrison was asked to wear pajamas. graham was given the option to be an angel or an animal. he chose to be a bunny.

bless him.

the following images will give you some insight into the picture-taking portion of my life.

you should be aware that the only reason they smiled and put their arms around each other was because i told them they would not get christmas presents unless they let me get one good photo.

and when that didn't work i told them i would go get out the "ouchie spoon" and swat their bottoms.

sometimes a mother must threaten her children in order to get them to smile.

am i right or am i right?

without further ado...



he threats worked for one photo...

then came the bunny ears on top of bunny ears...

then things started to get silly...

and a bit sillier...

when the cottontail wiggling and pulling grew boring they went for the ubiquitous cross-eyed shot...

and finally ended with a good one.

but really they're all pretty stinkin cute, aren't they?!!

p.s. thank you to my sweet friend debbie who let me borrow back the bunny ears and tail i gifted her last easter so graham could be the christmas bunny.

chihuly at the denver botanic gardens

a dear friend took me to see the dale chihuly exhibition at the denver botanic gardens a couple weeks ago. it was a crisp november morning but the sun was shining. we couldn't have asked for a better day to see this gorgeous glass art.

my friend had previously viewed the exhibit during warmer weather so she was able to compare how the sculptures looked amongst vibrant greenery as opposed to the brown, wilted brush that surrounded them the day we were there together. i found the juxtaposition interesting, though. the living plants died which allowed what is dead (the glass) to really stand out and come alive!

the photos below of the christmas ornament type sculptures floating in the stream...this was my very favorite installation. i think it was the combination of the running water, the patches of snow, the evergreen shrubs...as i came around the bend to discover the glass, it was just such a sweet surprise.

the installation below was also a favorite. it was massive. it beckoned you closer. it was a cirque de soleil style ball of fire....an explosion of vibrant color...with the addition of one lonely clear curlicue. another sweet surprise.

beneath the moon

unedited images of the moon throughout last night...

although not perfect, this was the best photo i was able to take at the early hour of 4:30 this morning.




most of the images i captured look like this:

or worse:

i might need to ask for a tripod for christmas. my hands seem to shake a bit, huh?!

a drive along guanella pass

 we took a drive up the hill to georgetown, colorado in hopes of catching the tail end of aspen season. 

 it was cold and windy at the summit of guanella pass. the boys tromped through a few patches of fresh snow but quickly hopped right back in the car.

 we stopped for a few photos on the way back down the pass. i was shooting into the sun and had some trouble with my camera settings. the image above shows my favorite part of the autumn aspen leaves. at the top of the photo do you see how they are spotted throughout the forest full of evergreen? they blend in all year but in fall they chose to finally distinguish themselves; they jump out and yell surprise!

 graham and his daddy.

harrison and i were both feeling queasy from driving the curvy switchbacks on empty stomachs. i got out of the car to feel the cool breeze and concentrate on the gorgeous yellow leaves. he got out to climb some small boulders.

he started feeling better almost immediately.

the guanella pass scenic byway is the perfect road for a lovely sunday drive.